


The Last One to Forget This Place

by BrokenLullabye



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Implied Relationships, Melancholy, Not Happy, One Direction Hiatus, Reality, Reflection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 10:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14042172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenLullabye/pseuds/BrokenLullabye
Summary: Boybands have a limited lifespan, they knew that from the start. No matter how hard they tried or how famous they got they never could forget it.Or: A melancholy narrative on the career of One Direction





	The Last One to Forget This Place

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly don't know where this came from. I wrote it in an hour between classes when I was in a kind of melancholy mood. Even though it's not really a story and I used commas way to much (sorry) I decided to post it. At least it's not very long.
> 
> Title from Spaces by One Direction

They knew when they signed the contract that they had a lifespan. Five albums, five years, then who knew? Management said they would renegotiate when the time came but everyone already knew the truth, boybands just didn’t last that long. They were never meant to be forever.

Then the work actually started. Recording, touring, doing interviews and meeting so many fans. All of them bought the first magazine they were on; cheered the first time they heard themselves on the radio, smiled at each other through the nerves the first time they appeared on TV. They grew bigger and faster then anyone, even the great Simon Cowell could have predicted. In a blink of an eye, they broke into America and soon conquered the rest of the world. Yet, through it all there remained a voice in their head reminding them that it would never last. But the boys pushed it back, hid it away in the back of their minds. It was easy to drown out one voice when you had another thousand chanting your name.

The boys were reckless and naïve when they started, fresh faced and unknowing of the hardships in store for them. The endless rumors of sordid relationships, to the point where they couldn’t even look at someone without causing speculation on the exact nature of their relationship. It seemed as though everyone suddenly thought they could touch and grab and grope and forget that they were still young boys, all the while berating them with questions into their romantic lives forcing the boys to hide their emotions behind smiles and preapproved answers. The first time they died in the press, they had frantic phone calls from their parents, needing reassurance that their son was alive, even if he seemed to never come home. Everyday their privacy was stripped away a little bit more and suddenly the thought that it would all end eventually became a comforting one.

If the boys were honest with themselves, there were many times, especially in those early days, that they would have called it quits. But they weren’t alone. Even though they didn’t know each other before being thrust together on national TV, they grew to be brothers. There was always someone up for another round of Mario Cart or willing to be a partner in crime. When one was on the verge of breaking there was another ready with a cup of tea and a comforting embrace. Even though their lives were poorly managed chaos, they knew that there would always be four others who knew exactly what it was like. They played, and sang, and hugged, and loved together in the pure way only young boys could, knowing in their hearts that they would live forever, even when their head disagreed.

Their relationships weren’t perfect. They still fought, snapping at each other for no reason, pushing each other away. They still kept secrets. A desperate attempt to keep some part of them to themselves. Some of them grew closer to each other than others. It would be remised to not mention the behemoth that is Larry, the ever speculated, ever talked about, never confirmed ‘relationship’. In the beginning they all thought it was funny, but it soon got out of control. Now it wasn’t just a couple of stories or art but a true belief. It was no longer some simple shipping done by the fans but stories that were reported on by people said to be professionals. It didn’t matter if they had girlfriends everyone wanted to know the perceived truth about the boys. But the truth was never known, not even by the other boys in the band. Sure Harry and Louis were close, they fell together immediately. They were always within reach of each other, always climbing on top of each other, giving secret looks to each other. But everyone in the band was fairly tactile so it could have been nothing. All the boys did know was that as the rumors grew, the instinctual friendship between Harry and Louis broke. Whereas before they couldn’t be pulled away from each other, they now couldn’t be seen together while the others stood by helpless. It was a shocking reminder that nothing, even their band, lasts forever.

Still, their fame grew. Their fans relentlessly supporting them, propelling them to win award after award, much to the dismay of their fellow artists. They were never taken seriously, being just a boyband. Everything was criticized from their looks to their voices. The Internet filled with comments on how they lacked talent, weren’t unique and didn’t deserve the accolades given to them. But they grew used to the negativity. They still had fans and were still together, the five of them, against the world.

Until they weren’t.

In the face of their whirlwind careers, it was easy to forget that there was always a timer ticking down on their time together. So it came as a shock when he said he wanted out. He didn’t give the others room to argue, he refused the tea and the comfort, and the pleas. He never planned to be in a band, he said, this all just happened and now he wanted to be himself, just Zayn, without One Direction. He left and they couldn’t stop him. They tried to keep the split amicable and convince everyone that they weren't feeling as if a part of them was missing. But they were still young and the pain quickly turned to anger. They lashed out and both sides were relentless with their bitten words until things were said that could never be taken back.

When the tempers cooled and the wounds scared over the remaining boys knew the time had come to acknowledge what they had always known. They assured their fans nothing would change but Zayn had pulled out the first string and the whole thing was becoming unraveled. Harry was talking about movies and acting. Louis was coming to terms with an unexpected child. Niall talked about backpacking and anonymity. Liam longed for quiet. It was just a year, they said. Some time to relax and get their minds straight so they could come back better than ever. But a year turn into eighteen months, which became soon, then eventually. They all knew the truth and the timer was ticking out.

At first, it was okay. They got to spend time with their families that they had been missing since they were children. The got away from the cameras and the screaming. They got to relax.

No one thought it would be Niall. However, his first solo single did well. He gained fans that never would have listened to a boyband. Still, others worried if this truly meant the end. Surely not, they though, Niall was always their number one fan, surely he loved the band more than anything. Once they said they were getting back together, he would come running. Then it was Louis with live performances and a new collaborator. But that was okay too, just his way of dealing with grief, nothing more. When Harry’s came out the thinking started to change. Everyone knew he was the perfect popstar, the one that people recognized. If any of them had a chance on their own, it was he. But still, the hope remained. Liam was harder to deal with. He talked about finally being free, and what did that mean? As the albums and tours came the thought of a reunion became more abstract. If they were all successful on their own, why did they need a band? Their fans were growing up and loosing interest in the band they once loved.

The boys always knew they had a lifespan. Time had been running out since they first started and they were lucky that they all were doing fairly well on their own. They wouldn’t admit it to themselves, but they missed it and missed each other. After a good show they went to hug people that weren’t there, there was no one to give comfort after a bad one or give understanding looks after another rumor spread. They tried to keep in touch but plans to meet up always fell through. They each had their own schedules, their own lives, which the others were no longer a part of. They knew from the beginning that this was destined to end. 

However, they were still reluctant to admit that it was over. They couldn’t bring themselves to admit that One Direction was truly dead. Late at night when they were alone without the breathing of the other boys around them that they had grown accustomed to. These were the nights that they thought to themselves, why not? Their success had proven that they could do the impossible, why couldn’t they do it again? If it was them, they could make this hiatus just a break and not a breakup. 

It was these nights that they went to sleep smiling at the thought of turning back the timer, or maybe stopping it altogether.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really expect anyone to read this, but if you did thanks. If you feel like it, let me know what you think (even if you hated it). I kind of feel like I should expand this into a real story at some point but I don't really know. I hate not giving them a happy ending, I was just in that kind of mood today. Anyway, thanks for spending your time on this.


End file.
